Stranger Things 4: Trailer for Volume 2
Actress and singer Maya Hawke is best recognised for playing an alternative teenager on Netflix's Stranger Things, but there's more to this Hollywood-raised star than meets the eye.
Born in New York City to A-list actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Maya kick-started her on-screen career in the BBC's 2017 TV adaptation of Little Women in which she played Jo March.
Since then, the actress has featured in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, Bradley Cooper's Maestro and Netflix teen comedy Do Revenge, amongst others. Most recently, she appeared in Pixar's Inside Out 2 as the voice of anxiety, a new emotion introduced in the sequel.
As fans await Hawke's return to the small screen in Stranger Things season 5, premiering in 2025, we take a look at her breakout role, music career and nepotism drama.
Hawke's big break
Hawke's education largely contributed to her interest in acting. She studied at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, which champions creativity. She also had stints at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in central London and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. She then started studying for a Bachelor in Fine Arts at Julliard before dropping out for her debut role in Little Women.
One year later, Stranger Things Season 3 premiered, introducing Hawke as a new ensemble cast member. Her character, Robin, joined the series as the co-worker and best friend of main character Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).
Fans were quick to point out the romantic chemistry between the pair, but Robin was revealed to be a lesbian in an intimate scene where Steve confesses his feelings for her. Hawke's character has been widely praised for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ teens.
Hawke faces 'nepo baby' critiques
As the child of acclaimed actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, who were married from 1998 to 2005, Maya has been amongst the children of stars branded as 'nepotism (nepo) babies.'
She was named in the 2022 Vulture feature 'An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse', in which the writer noted that she was one of eight celebrity children on the list who appeared in Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The article went viral and caused much buzz around the term 'nepo baby', with many celebrities named in the article coming out to defend themselves.
Hawke, on the other hand, won fans over by candidly admitting her privilege. In an interview with the Times, she said: "There are so many people who deserve to have this kind of life who don’t, but I think I’m comfortable with not deserving it and doing it anyway."
She added: "It’s OK to be made fun of when you’re in rarefied air. It’s a lucky place to be."
"My relationships with my parents are really honest and positive, and that supersedes anything anyone can say about it."
Hawke's music career and romance
Hawke made her musical debut in 2019 with two singles: To Love a Boy and Stay Open. She has since released three albums; Blush (2020), MOSS (2022) and Chaos Angel (2024). The latter was produced by her now-boyfriend Christian Lee Hutson.
Lee Hutson is also an artist, with three alternative albums in his discography. Alongside Hawke, he has worked with chart-toppers including Phoebe Bridgers. Hawke revealed on the music podcast, Zach Sang Show, that they had been friends prior to dating.
She said: “We’ve been friends for four years. I cannot recommend highly enough dating your friends. It’s the best. They know you, they understand that you’re a person and a human being that has dated other people who has dated them. Who has feelings and is a living, breathing human not just like a piece of paper to project image of perfect girlfriend onto.”
Hawke currently rakes in 1.1million monthly listeners on Spotify.
